The Education Abroad Office is excited to announce the recipients of the 2016 Maxcy Travel Grant: Mary Clardy and Tylar Roy. The Maxcy Travel Grant is a financial award used to help fund a study abroad experience for selected undergraduate students who are residents of the International House at Maxcy College, with preference given to students participating in USC Global Exchange Programs.

Though eligibility is available to students participating in semester, Maymester or summer programs, both Roy and Clardy are participating in programs during the 2016-17 academic year.

Clardy will be attending the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. She cites living in Maxcy College as one of her influences in deciding to study abroad. In her application materials sent to the Education Abroad Office, she said, “I have always wanted a global perspective and I have been inspired by people who have studied in foreign countries.” Clardy is excited that she can take unique courses abroad that are relevant to her Biomedical Engineering major and Mathematics minor. She hopes to take advantage of University of Strathclyde’s course in prosthetics, a field in which Clardy is interested as a future career. In addition to advancing her education, Clardy is excited to embrace a new culture. She said, “I plan to not only be a student, but an active part of my community.”

Roy will be studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong. As an Integrated Information Technology major, Roy considers his interest in technology as a large motivation for his interest in studying abroad. He also hopes technology will help him transition into and relate to the culture in Hong Kong. He said in his application materials, “As an IIT major I believe I can benefit from studying in the largest technical hub in the world, and I would be able to bridge the gap between the students in Hong Kong and myself through the common ground of technology.”

Both students have familial motivations to study abroad in addition to their educational interests. Roy’s grandmother has travelled in many different countries, and her experiences have sparked his own interest in travel. He said she influenced him “by telling me of the experiences she has had of the different countries she has traveled to and how it has affected her view of both her domestic life and the world as a whole.” Both of Clardy’s parents were in the military, so she has been around the country and abroad on numerous occasions. She has lived abroad in Japan, and she said that time “fueled my desire to study abroad.”

To learn more about the Maxcy Travel Grant and other scholarships available to assist students studying abroad, please visit Find Scholarships.